Dual purpose ladies&#39; garment



Nov. 23, 1965 s. YESAYAN 3,218,651

DUAL PURPOSE LADIES GARMENT Filed Jan. 18, 1963 INVENTOR SYLVIA YES/1 YAN AT ORNEYS United States Patent 3,218,651 DUAL PURPOSE LADIES GARMENT Sylvia Yesayan, 370 Lawrence Ave. W., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed Jan. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 252,502 6 Claims. (Cl. 2-211) This invention relates to a ladies garment capable of being worn as a skirt or an upper garment.

To the best of the applicants knowledge, this invention is not related to any established art beyond the fact that skirts and upper garments of the type hereinafter described are available as separate items. The invention provides a garment which may be worn in two different manners to provide either a skirt or an upper garment. Due to the nature of the invention, it will be obvious that a garment of this type provides an inexpensive Way of combining two articles which are in constant everyday use. The invention should, therefore, provide an article which would be particularly attractive to ladies who like to vary their clothing as often as their budget will permit.

A further feature of this invention is that it may be adapted to provide an upper garment suitable for maternity wear, while also providing a skirt for normal wear, thereby removing the necessity of buying specially designed clothing. The nature of the invention is such that a clothing manufacturer may incorporate this idea with the minimum of capital expenditure and the increase in cost would be negligible.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a garment having the aforementioned advantages, that is to say a versatile but inexpensive garment.

The invention generally comprises a ladies garment capable of being worn as a skirt or an upper garment comprising, a skirt having an upper and lower edge, the upper portion of said skirt being formed with two opposed slits extending longitudinally thereof, a conversion means for converting said skirt to an upper garment including means on the axis of each of said slits for securing together the portions of the skirt on each side of said axis at a first point spaced from said upper edge, and means spaced from the axis of said slits for securing together the portions of said skirt on each side of said axis at a second point adjacent said upper edge, said first point and said second point being spaced apart such that the line between them forms the shoulder seam of the upper garment, the portion of said slits below said first point having an extent to form an arm opening of an upper garment, and closing means whereby said slits may be closed.

The invention will be clearly understood after reference to the following detailed specification read in conjunction with the drawings:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a sleeved garment showing the skirt feature.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a sleeved garment showing the first stage of conversion to an upper garment.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of part of a sleeved garment showing the upper garment features.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of a sleeved garment showing the location of the conversion fasteners.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a garment without sleeves showing the upper garment features; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a garment without sleeves showing the skirt features.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates generally the arrangement whereby the garment may be worn as a skirt having an upper edge 12 and a lower edge 14. The upper portion of said skirt is formed with a pair of opposed slits 16 extending longitudinally thereof, each of said slits being provided with a closing means comprising a zipper 17 and mating fasteners 30 and 30A.

3,218,651 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 The reference numeral 20 refers generally to the arrangement whereby the garment may be worn as an upper garment. Sleeves 22, having an upper edge 24 and lower edge 26 are attached to the garment by sewing said upper edge 24 to the portions of the garment adjacent said slits in a well known manner.

When the garment is worn as a skirt, sleeves 22 are tucked inside the garment and slits 16 are closed by means of zipper 17 and by engaging fasteners 30 and 30A.

When the garment is worn as an upper garment, slits 16 are opened by disengaging fasteners 30 and 30A and by opening zipper 17, sleeves 22 are extended outwith the garment as shown in FIGURE 2. The portions of the garment 36 and 38, which lie between said slits 16 and said upper edge 12, are overlapped and fasteners 30 and 32 engaged with fasteners 30B and 32A, respectively, to form should-er support 39. A third slit 40 formed in said skirt, and extending longitudinally thereof, may be opened adjacent said upper edge to form the collar 42 of said upper garment.

When this garment is worn as an upper garment without sleeves, additional fasteners 34 and 34A are provided as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, such that they may be engaged to form the shoulder support in conjunction with fasteners 32, 32A and 30, 30b.

The embodiments of the invention other than the ones shown will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is not my intention that the invention should be limited to the embodiment shown.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A ladies garment capable of being worn as a skirt or an upper garment comprising, a skirt having an upper edge and a lower edge, the upper portion of said skirt being formed at substantially opposed locations with co-extensive conversion edges adapted to abut, said edges extending substantially longitudinally of said skirt, conversion means for maintaining the material adjacent the upper ends of the abutting conversion edges in a relationship as to provide shoulder supports when said garment is worn as an upper garment, said conversion means comprising, means adjacent said abutting'conversion edges for securing together said abutting conversion edges at first points spaced from said upper edge of said garment and means at second points above said first points for maintaining the portions of said garment adjacent said abutting conversion edges in an overlapping relationship to form shoulder supports, the portions of said abutting conversion edges below said first points having an extent adapted to form arm openings, closure means adapted to secure said abutting conversion edges along substantially their full length thereby closing said arm openings when said garment is worn as a skirt.

2. A ladies garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said conversion means at said second points is provided by cooperating means spaced from said abutting conversion edges and adjacent said upper edge of said skirt.

3. A ladies garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said conversion means at said second points is provided by means adjacent said upper edge of said skirt and adjacent said abutting conversion edges and co-operating means spaced from said upper edge of said skirt and spaced from said abutting conversion edges.

4. A ladies garment as claimed in claim 1 having sleeves, said sleeves having an upper edge and a lower edge, said upper edge being attached to the portions of said abutting conversion edges below said first points, said sleeves being adapted to tuck inside said garment when said garment is worn as a skirt.

5. A ladies garment as claimed in claim 2 having sleeves, said sleeves having an upper edge and a lower edge, said 3, 2 1 8, 6 5 1 3 4 upper edge being attached to the portions of said abutting References Cited by the Examiner conversion edges below said first points, said sleeves be- UNITED STATES PATENTS ing adapted to tuck inside said garment when said garment is worn as a skirt. 2,075,238 3/1937 Stephens et al. 2-88 6. A ladies garment as claimed in claim 3 having 5 2,774,075 12/1956 2 106 sleeves, said sleeves having an upper edge and a lower 2,799,022 7/1957 Pause edge, said upper edge being attached to the portions of 2,825,905 3/1958 Merl 221l1 said abutting conversion edges below said first points, said sleeves being adapted to tuck inside said garment JORDAN FRANKLIN P r "nary Exammer' when said garment is worn as a skirt. 10 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. A LADIES GARMENT CAPABLE OF BEING WORN AS A SKIRT OR AN UPPER GARMENT COMPRISING, A SKIRT HAVING AN UPPER EDGE AND A LOWER EDGE, THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID SKIRT BEING FORMED AT SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSED LOCATIONS WITH CO-EXTENSIVE CONVERSION EDGES ADAPTED TO ABUT, SAID EDGES EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID SKIRT, CONVERSION MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE MATERIAL ADJACENT THE UPPER ENDS OF THE ABUTTING CONVERSION EDGES IN A RELATIONSHIP AS TO PROVIDE SHOULDER SUPPORTS WHEN SAID GARMENT IS WORN AS AN UPPER GARMENT, SAID CONVERSION MEANS COMPRISING, MEANS ADJACENT SAID ABUTTING CONVERSION EDGES FOR SECURING TOGETHER SAID ABUTTING CONVERSION EDGES AT FIRST POINTS SPACED FROM SAID UPPER EDGE OF SAID GARMENT AND MEANS AT SECOND POINTS ABOVE SAID FIRST POINTS FOR MAINTAINING THE PORTIONS OF SAID GARMENT ADJACENT SAID ABUTTING CONVERSION EDGES IN AN OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP TO FORM SHOULDER CONVERSION PORTS, THE PORTIONS OF SAID ABUTTING CONVERSION EDGES BELOW SAID FIRST POINTS HAVING AN EXTENT ADAPTED TO FORM ARM OPENINGS, CLOSURE MEANS ADAPTED TO SECURE SAID ABUTTING CONVERSION EDGES ALONG SUBSTANTIALLY THEIR FULL LENGTH THEREBY CLOSING SAID ARM OPENINGS WHEN SAID GARMENT IS WORN AS A SKIRT. 